Member-only story
An amazing luminous vortex appeared in Alaska against the aurora borealis. What was it?
Two days ago, an unusual phenomenon was recorded in Alaska. A rotating bright vortex appeared in the sky. It was perfectly visible against the background of the aurora borealis.
Alaska residents are accustomed to the extraordinary appearance of the sky. At high latitudes, especially beyond the Arctic Circle, auroras often appear. This is a characteristic luminous phenomenon — a greenish glow clearly visible against the night sky.
The aurora borealis is formed when the solar winds fall into the Earth’s magnetic field. Charged particles emitted by the sun begin to excite atoms in the upper atmosphere. Auroras are visible both from the surface of the Earth and from space. There is no shortage of astronomy enthusiasts who specialize in photographing and recording this unusual phenomenon.
One of them is photographer Tony Salat. Two days ago, early Saturday, Salat went to photograph the aurora near Delta Junction, southeast of Fairbanks. In addition to the aurora, however, he also saw something else. It was a huge spinning vortex. In his social media account, Salat called it a “mysterious spiral.”
